On the morning of August 5, officers from the Pitou Substation of the Beidou Precinct apprehended a scam syndicate member posing as a money mule for an investment company while on duty in front of a convenience store on Douyuan West Road, Pitou Township, Changhua County. The suspect was originally scheduled to collect funds on August 8 but was captured by the ambushing officers, safeguarding NT$880,000 of hard-earned money from a victim surnamed Lin.
Pitou Substation Chief Wu Ming-fa noted that based on his extensive case-handling experience, the victim was likely to be targeted again. Indeed, the scam syndicate did not give up and continued to lure the victim into participating in a bogus investment scheme via messaging apps, creating an illusion of profit and money recovery. The syndicate rescheduled a face-to-face meeting on August 14 at 2 PM at a convenience store on Section 3 of Zhangshui Road, Pitou Township.
Officer Du Yu-tai of the Pitou Substation remained vigilant about the victim's situation and set up an ambush inside the convenience store on the appointed date. When the mule, a Hong Kong national born in 2000, exited the store, the officer immediately identified himself, successfully apprehending the mule and seizing crucial evidence, including receipts, investment agreements, and personal identification documents. An additional NT$300,000 of the victim's money was saved. The case has been referred to the Changhua District Prosecutors Office for investigation on charges of fraud and violations of anti-money laundering laws.
Beidou Precinct Chief Huang Shi-de emphasized the importance of collaborating with banks to establish joint defense mechanisms and train staff on anti-fraud knowledge. He also urged police officers to actively pursue fraud mules and educate the public on anti-fraud measures to protect citizens' financial security. He advised the public to invest through legal channels and be wary of schemes promising "high returns with no loss." Chief Huang recommended calling the 165 Anti-Fraud Hotline for careful verification to avoid falling into scam traps that lead to financial losses.
Police Arrested a Suspect Surnamed Chen from Hong Kong (Photo / Sourced from the National Police Agency Website)
Beidou Branch Director Huang Shide emphasized that in addition to cooperating with banks to establish a joint prevention mechanism and disseminating fraud prevention knowledge to bank employees, they also actively require police officers to detect fraudulent drivers and disseminate fraud prevention knowledge to protect the safety of people's property. He called on the public to use legal channels when investing, to be more vigilant about investment plans that advertise "high profits, guaranteed profits, and no loss", and to call the 165 anti-fraud hotline for verification to avoid falling into the trap of fraud groups. Cause property damage.
